The Majin Series: Aftermath
by silverwell
Summary: Book Two. Filled with regret and despair, Majin Buu is faced with a dilemma in the wake of a new face funding the experiments that Buu and Serah had thought were put to an end. There's even more at stake this time with the promise of a new arrival. T for violence and potential crude humor.
1. Dawn

**Author's Note:** Changed some of the wording in an attempt to help flow.

Serah stood on the tip of her big toe like a ballerina, palms together and the bottom of her other foot on her knee. Eyes closed, she inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly, trying to still her mind so she could sense the surroundings of the lake. Everything was tranquil and still.  
A dragonfly landed on a thick stalk sticking out of the shallows of the water. A breeze caressed the leaves and grasses. A squirrel chattered in the distance… A burst of familiar Ki in the distance rippled to Serah's senses.

Serah smiled softly as the Ki approached. Ever since the government's experiments to make more Majins was essentially vaporized, peace settled over the world. For several years, they lived without conflict. Mack, a scientist once involved with the experiments, took up residents with Buu and Serah. He took up much of the responsibilities that Mr. Satan had before he was kidnapped and experimented on.  
Buu had not been quite the same since. He was more mature, more reserved than before, but thankfully still quite jovial. Serah feared that he may have suffered greatly if she hadn't been revived by Shenron. The thought always saddened her.

Buu slowed and remained hovering when he neared. When he was within an arm's reach, Serah leaped to him, pushing him horizontally as she kissed his lips. Buu chuckled, returning the affection and wrapping his arms around her. "Serah surprised Buu," he said when she finally relinquished his lips and relaxed into him.  
"I'm just content."  
"Did Serah have successful meditation?"  
"I think I did." Buu grabbed her and squeezed reassuringly as he grinned. Serah chortled and nibbled his neck.  
"Mack has surprise for Buu and Serah."

At the house, Mack adjusted his thick glasses on his nose, staring intensely into a vial of thick, clear liquid. He beamed eagerly, delicately setting the vial onto a holder and carefully grasping another, rounder vial from the next holder. "Almost," he reassured himself.  
The small lab was cluttered with papers and sticky notes around the cramped beakers, vials and various oddities. He had been so consumed by his latest work, Mack hadn't emerged from the room on the second floor all day, except only once to tell Buu of his breakthrough. Thankfully, Buu had left him to continue what he wanted to finish.  
When Mack finally surfaced from his lab, he leaned heavily against the wall with a huge sigh. The bed from the room down the hall creaked and Buu soon joined him, looking concerned at the scientist. "Mack well?"  
"Y-yes," Mack straitened and grinned knowingly up at the large man. "Just a long day. What time is it?"

Buu looked over at the clock on the wall as Mack tugged at his long, white coat stained with coffee and tea. "Almost five."  
"Oh, my!" Mack huffed, "I'm late to make dinner, I should-"  
Buu grasped his shoulder and interrupted him, "Morning. Mack should sleep, Buu and Serah take care of breakfast."

Mack nodded and wobbled to his small bedroom without a word. He looked exausted. Buu watched him, making sure he made it to bed before returning to Serah in their bed. Serah yawned and blearily looked up at Buu when he returned, "I feel like someone just mentioned breakfast?"  
Buu smiled down at her, "Yes and Buu thinks Serah hungry."  
"Mhmm," she confirmed as she rose in bed and stretched her palms to the ceiling in a stretch. "Did Mack finally get to bed?" She rested her forearms on her head making her arms look like they framed her head.  
Buu nodded and smiled, admiring her for a moment before turning to the door. "Buu make breakfast." He headed downstairs.

Breakfast was simple. Pancakes, sausage and eggs. Plenty of pancakes for Buu and just enough sausage and eggs for Serah to feel full. Ever since Mr. Satan died, Buu and Serah learned a lot of cooking from all the notes and recipes he made during his decades living with Buu.  
After the dishes were cleaned and put away, Buu led Serah outside and onto the roof to watch the sunrise. Once they were comfortably cuddled together, Serah said, "It's been nice, not having to worry about the fate of the world."  
"Buu agree," he held her closer.

Mack didn't emerge from his room until almost dinner time. Serah brought him a plate of mashed potatoes, corn and a fried chicken leg. She had to knock on the door to his lab a few times before he finally answered.  
"Th-thanks, Serah," he huffed a sigh. "I'd have starved to death already if not for you and Buu."  
"You wouldn't be so recluse if not for us, too." Serah smiled, "Will you be eating up here tonight?"  
Mack thought for a moment, then nodded, "I think I'll join you guys tonight."

Buu didn't eat with his usual gusto, but he finished his plate nonetheless. Though Mack was distracted while he ate, contemplating his latest experiment, Serah noticed. "Buu, you're plate is usually licked clean by now." She smiled to him.  
Buu looked at her and frowned, "Buu is well..."  
"But…?"  
"Buu misses Mr. Satan today."  
Serah looked at him, saddened, "I'm sure he misses you, too."  
"Buu sometimes wonders why Mr. Satan couldn't be wished back."  
Serah leaned back, thinking over what she was told when Buu wished for her and Mr. Satan to be revived. Shenron, the wish-granting dragon, had said Mr. Satan was changed. Serah wondered if the physical change he was forced to have also affected him in a deeper level. Did it also change his personality so much that he'd return with a much sinister personality? Serah sighed, "I wish I knew the answer, too." She let the tension abate before turning to Mack, "I don't think you got the chance to tell me about that surprise."  
Mack looked up from his plate, grinning ear to ear. "Not just yet..."


	2. Arrested!

Since the government's experimenting was over, Serah felt much more comfortable returning to the city. Though passers-by stared at her, she vastly ignored it as she walked the streets and browsed shops. She even found new clothes every now and then that she loved. The shopkeepers generally didn't care what she looked like so long as she made a purchase.  
A few times a week, Serah left for the city to get a few bags of groceries. Since Hercule died, his daughter Videl let Buu take the profits of everything that Hercule was still making money on. Until recently, money wasn't much of an issue. In the last couple years, Buu and Serah had been learning how to grow a fairly large garden of vegetables. Mack had even helped out with a concoction that made the vegetables grow huge.

On her next trip to the city, Serah flew in and landed a fair distance away before she entered the city limits. She preferred nobody notice her ability to fly and she concluded it would only bring unwanted attention. Buu wanted more sweets and his large, unusual form would attract a lot of attention. No telling how long it would take to truly be rid of prying, curious people that want to know more than they really need to know.  
As Serah passed more and more people, the more she realized how uneasy they seemed. They stared at her with anxiety and fear. Though some occasionally gave her a fearful glance, the stares today were far from a stranger's uncertainty. Everyone seemed to genuinely fear her.

Eventually, sirens blared and closed in on Serah. She stopped as the streets cleared of civilians and officers surrounded her. They opened their doors, clamored out and steadied their guns on her. Serah swallowed, looked around nervously and raised her hands. An officer yelled, "Down on your knees!"  
Serah obliged. Finding out if she was bullet-proof was not on her to-do list. Once both of her knees were on the ground, an officer approached slowly, "Stay there! You're under arrest!" He grabbed her wrists, one at a time, and cuffed her. Serah knew she could have easily thrown him off, but she let him think he was stronger than her. He helped her up and took her to his car.

"Why was I arrested, sir?" The officer glanced back at her. Fear shown clearly in his eyes.  
"You're accused of destroying Stout Town and murdering its citizens." He drove us away and most of the officers must've been escorting us.  
Serah shook her head, "That can't be right." A few minutes later, helicopters could be heard overhead. Serah sensed three clusters of people in the sky above the streets.  
The officer stared at her in the rear view mirror for a few seconds. He seemed in disbelief.

Serah pressed the side of her head against the window and looked up, hoping to get a good look at the helicopters. One of them had the local news channel logo on it. The other two, Serah couldn't see. If she was accused of such a terrible crime, she assumed the other two could be the military, with military grade guns. Where they were taking her, Serah thought, would surely be a very secure place where they wouldn't want her to leave and cause more damage and death. Making an escape now would mean fewer people between her and freedom. It would be a good opportunity to make them think she was fleeing in a direction other than home.  
"I apologize in advance for your car, sir." Before he could react, Serah smashed through the back window, head first. She flew as hard and fast as she could, darting between the buildings in hopes of losing the helicopters. Once she reached the city limit, she flew on for several minutes before looking back. The city was a small dot on the horizon and there couldn't have been any way for those helicopters to have kept up with her.

For several more minutes, Serah stared in the direction of the city, bewildered by what had transpired. Somebody murdered a whole town not too far from the city. Not many could perform such a feat and still be on the loose. Of those few, there were none that could be mistaken for a pink woman with tentacles on her head.  
Serah wanted to see this town for herself. It took her a little over an hour with frequent pauses to sense for possible confrontations, but she finally found the ruins of Stout Town. She kept her distance, preferring to first observe. Not a single building was undamaged, nor any roof seemed to remain where it should. All the buildings had at least one fallen wall and most were large piles of rubble.  
About half a dozen people had gathered a couple blocks from the center of the town, near a ruined fountain. Serah was too far to hear what they said, but when their panicked faces began to look up at her, she decided it was time to leave. No reason to give them belief that whoever did this had returned to cause more suffering.

Serah flew away far enough that she wouldn't be seen veering towards home. Buu and Mack needed to know, and the others as well. The terror on their faces was very real, and whomever it was had no regard for the lives of others.  
Buu met her outside, a few yards from the entrance. When he noticed Serah didn't have any bags, he began to pout, but the look on her face quickly worried him. "What wrong, Serah?"  
"Where is Mack right now?" Serah didn't like to keep a constant watch on the where and when people were at and didn't immediately think to sense for him when she returned. A quick scan of the area revealed him to be in the garden.  
"Mack in the garden," Buu replied while Serah had searched for his presence.  
"Come with me," Serah told Buu. "You'll both want to hear this."

Mack was watering the carrots when Serah and Buu made it to the garden. He smiled and waved as their boots touched the soil. Mack joined them, adjusting his glasses and setting the watering can down. "The carrots will be tastier this year after my last adjustment to the carrot feed," Mack beamed proudly. When Serah's face came into better view, he frowned, "Oh, my. What happened?"  
"I was arrested in the city," Serah began. Buu and Mack looked shocked as she continued, "I was accused of destroying Stout Town and slaughtering the citizens. I checked the place out, it was pretty thoroughly destroyed."

Heavy silence hung around them for a while. Mack frowned deeply as Buu stared off into the distance as if sensing for someone. "We should let the others know," Mack finally broke the silence. "We should move again, too..."  
Serah nodded in understanding. Something was wrong and she had a bad feeling that something terrible was going to happen. Mack hurried to his lab to gather what he needed, leaving Serah and Buu in the garden.  
"Buu has bad feeling," Buu looked down at Serah.  
She looked back up at him, "Me, too."

In Mack's lab, the scientist hastily corked several vials and gathered them into a suitcase. He filled a briefcase with papers, notes and a few journals. "Where is…? Here you are!" He walked over to a sphere cradled in a bowl and wrapped with a blanket. He tucked the baseball sized sphere into his pocket, turned and grabbed his cases on his way out of the room.  
He met Buu and Serah outside. Serah already had her necessities in a backpack and since Buu could easily regenerate his clothes as needed, he didn't need anything. Serah took Mack's cases and rose a few meters into the air as Buu grabbed Mack for the trip.


	3. Plan A: Waiting Game

The beach they stopped at was far from civilization and may have never had many visitors. Mack needed to stretch his legs and Serah needed a break from flying. Though Buu was eager to keep going, he knew both his traveling companions needed a break from the flight. Serah wished she packed her swimsuit as she tested the water when the waves reached her. Mack stayed back in the grass, preferring not to get sand in his boots or water on his clothes.  
Buu watched Serah as he stood next to Mack. She crouched, letting the water soak her hands and lower legs. Mack adjusted his glasses, taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly, "I would love to live closer to a beach. Something about the salty air and the water is enchanting."  
"Buu loves the forest," he sat down, still captivated by Serah's examining of the water.  
Mack looked over at him and followed his gaze. "I must admit, I find her hauntingly beautiful. She is stronger than she gives herself credit for. Not physically, but… mentally, I think."  
Buu looked up at Mack, watching him stare at her for a moment, "Mack strong, too." Mack looked back down at Buu as he tapped his head with a finger.  
Mack blushed, "Knowledge is my passion."

Serah stood and stretched, pushing her fingers to the sky and arching her back. She joined Buu and Mack, smiling, "I'm almost ready for the last stretch to Roshi's. But first, I want to look around." She ran off before Buu or Mack could object.  
"That woman," Mack sighed and grinned. "Nothing could keep such a spirit tied down, at least not for long."  
Buu smiled warmly, "Serah much happier since..." Buu's smile saddened. Remembering Mr. Satan was painful, even though it was quite some time ago. He looked up at the sky and closed his eyes, feeling thankful for what he had. So long as he had Serah, Buu had a very good reason to be happy.

After several minutes tick by, Mack turns to Buu, "I think I'll see if I can find Serah. I might find something interesting while I look for her." Buu nodded, acknowledging Mack. The scientist wandered off in Serah's direction.  
Mack carefully stepped over a few rocks, using a large boulder to support himself. A few yards later, a large trunk barred his path. With a sigh, he looked to his left. The giant mushroom cap loomed, half decomposed. Mack looked to his right. There wasn't much trunk before it ended in a massive entanglement of roots. Turning back to the direction he came, Mack yelped and jump back against the trunk. A giras snarled at him, "What have we here! A snack?"  
"W-what? No, no!" Mack stammers, terrified. "I'm too bony!"  
The giras snorts derisively, "You look like you got enough for a nibble." He leaps down, bellowing and stretching his wings to slow his fall. Mack falls to his knees and screams.

The giras yelps as he crashes into the ground a few feet from Mack. "You better go pick on someone else!" Serah lands next to her frantic friend and stares sternly at the assailant.  
When the giras rises he stares back at Serah, "Fine!" He flies away without another word.  
"Are you alright?" Serah turns to Mack. He gulps and nods, too shaken to form words. Buu arrives a moment later, looking between the two quizzically. Serah explains, "A giras came by, but I scared him away." Buu frowns and approaches them, looking them up and down as if searching for wounds.  
"I-I'm fine," Mack pats his chest tentatively. "Just a frightful experience is all." Serah grins and puts her fists on her hips triumphantly.  
Satisfied, Buu smiles, "Buu glad."

"I knew I sensed you guys coming," Roshi gave the trio a large grin, eyeing Serah longer than necessary. "I finally get to see you, young lady. The others never mentioned how good you looked." Serah's cheeks blushed several shades. "What brings you guys here?" Roshi laughed.  
Serah was too embarrassed to answer right away. Thankfully, Mack spoke up, "Serah was arrested in the city because they thought she destroyed Stout Town."  
Roshi looked startled, "Eh!?" He turned and looked out over the water, "Hm..."  
"Roshi…?" Buu and Mack peered at the old man.  
"I was just wondering what that little flare of Ki was. Seems it was something, after all..."  
"Master," Turtle chimed in, "you should really look into things like that."  
"Quiet, you!" Roshi shot back. "Besides, I'm retired..."  
"Not really an excuse," Serah interjected, finally recovered from being flustered. "It could mean something big..."  
"Eh!?" Roshi stared at her, eyes narrowed. Serah stared back with a frown as Mack sighed.  
"Master, where are your manners?" Turtle asked.  
Roshi turned his eyes to Turtle. Finally, Roshi sighed, "Alright, alright… Come in. Tea's about ready anyways." He turned and stormed into the house with his guests following behind.

Serah looked around as Buu and Mack sat around a table and Roshi disappeared into another room. The place was somewhat unkempt. There was a thin layer of dust on ledges and several magazines strewn out on the table. A bookshelf had a few books laying on top and much space that could fit more books. The few plants inside looked alive and healthy, though.  
When Serah got closer to the table, she noticed the magazines portrayed model women in various skimpy clothes, some in alluring poses. She looked disgusted and averted her eyes before joining Buu on the couch.  
Roshi entered, holding a tray of cups, a bowl of sugar cubes and a kettle with the strings of tea bags hanging out. When he noticed his magazines still on the table, he clamored embarrassingly to set the tray down and grab the magazines, taking them to the bookshelf. He quickly returned and poured the tea, "Help yourselves to the sugar."

Mack dropped a couple cubes into his cup and sipped slowly as he thought deeply. Roshi gave Serah and Buu a chance, but when they didn't go for their tea, he dropped a few in his cup and stirred it, "So, you guys have a suspicion of who or what destroyed Stout Town?"  
Serah shook her head and held a fist to her chin, thoughtful. Buu and Mack remained quiet, lost in their thoughts also.  
Roshi frowned at the silent group and opted for staring at the television. It was still on the news channel, but there was a disturbing headline and a peculiar figure on the screen. He turned up the volume and everyone looked at the screen. The headlines read "Mysterious Pink Woman Escapes Apprehension" and showed an aerial view of Serah smashing through the car window, disappearing between the tall buildings.  
The screen switched to a view of a woman reporter standing just outside of the ruined town, "I come to you live, from Stout Town, where the mysterious pink woman had destroyed everything. We don't know where she is at this moment, and the King urges everyone to be aware and be safe."  
"Thank you, Trish," half the screen blinked to the news room where a man sat at his counter. "Keep us updated if anything changes in your area."  
"Will do," Trish nodded seriously.

"We can't just sit around..." Serah sighed.  
"What can we do?" Roshi asked. "We have no suspects and no clues."  
"We ought to keep up our senses," Mack suggested. "Keep scanning as much area as possible. When their Ki flares again, we chase them down."  
"The world is an awful big place to constantly scan," Serah said. "And, some of us will need to sleep sooner or later."  
"The Lookout seems a good place to have our eyes on much of the world," Mack said. "At least, the most populated of it."  
"Good thinking, lad," Roshi praised. "Though, I don't think we will have enough daylight to make it their today. Sun's almost gone." He nodded to the window and only a sliver of the sun remained on the horizon.  
"But, what if they return?" Serah stood, clenching her fists. Buu watched her carefully as he continued to think.  
"If they show up, we hunt them down," Roshi said. "For now, we should get ready for bed so we'll be rested for when they strike again."  
Serah sighed, relaxing, "Yeah, sorry." She hung her head.  
"Quite alright," Roshi reassured her. "I'm nervous, too."  
Mack slipped a hand in his pocket, cradling the orb. He wondered when would be a good time to reveal his surprise.


	4. Midnight Scare

Well into the night, Buu peered down at Serah. Her side rose and fell slowly as she slept on the couch. She finally seemed to sleep deeply. Mack, on the other hand, had passed out quickly once he got comfortable on the cushy chair. Buu rose to his feet and crept to the door. He heard Roshi's snoring in the other room as he exited the house and stepped out under the half-moon.  
The sound of the soft waves on the island was calming and the dull glinting on the water from the moon's soft light was captivating. Turtle looked back when he heard Buu approach, "Hullo, there." Turtle looked back over the water and added, "Beautiful night."  
"Mm-hmm," Buu agreed and sat down next to Turtle. The lazy waves of the ocean lulled him into a half-stupor as he thought about what Serah had said about her visit to the city. There's another pink lady out there, somewhere.  
Buu took a deep breath, clearing his mind. As he exhaled, he relaxed and opened his senses as far as he could manage. It wasn't as far as he wanted, but at least he could sense anybody approaching from miles away. There were seagulls not too far away. Fish shimmered and darted around in the water below them. A small species of whale was in another direction. Closer to the main land, a few giras were out near the water, probably for some late night fishing.

Turtle yawned expansively. The sudden motion and sound so close to Buu startled him back to where he was. "D'oh, sorry if I scared you."  
"It fine," Buu reassured him. "Buu just worried."  
"I couldn't help but eavesdrop earlier," Turtle said. "I really hope everything works out."  
The door opened and closed. Buu and Turtle looked to the house and watched Mack approach. "Quite late for being out to watch the water," Mack said.  
"Buu restless," he confessed.  
"I just can't sleep tonight," Turtle admitted.  
Mack sighed softly, his hand hadn't left his pocket since he appeared. He gazed out over the ocean, "I wish we didn't have to leave the house."  
Buu looked down at the occupied pocket, "Safe…?"  
Mack nodded, "About as safe as possible. I just didn't expect to be traveling." He adjusted his glasses with his free hand as Turtle looked between them, confused.

Mack pulled the orb from his pocket and unwrapped it. Neon pinks swirled through a dense cloud of purples inside of it. It glowed gently in the dim light, lighting up some of the worn and weary edges of Mack's face.  
Buu inhaled, staring at the orb in aw. "Mack said it need one more thing. What thing Mack needs?"  
Lines showed as a smile creased along Mack's face. "You will know when it happens..." Buu's eyes went to Mack's face, concern glowing in his expression. "Everything will be alright after we get to the bottom of the destructive mystery woman." Mack wrapped the orb up, tucked it in his pocket and went back into the house without another word.

"He's kinda strange," Turtle commented and rubbed his eyes with a fin. "I think I'm finally ready for sleep."  
Buu rose to his feet, bowed slightly to Turtle and smiled, "Good night, Mr Turtle." Turtle withdrew into his shell as Buu returned to the sleeping Serah. Mack had just gotten settled back into his large chair and was asleep very soon.  
Serah stirred when Buu sat down in front of the couch she was sleeping on, "Hey, Buu. What time is it?"  
"Too soon for Serah," Buu reassured her. He rested the back of his head on her side as he felt her arm slide down next to his.  
"I've got all night to catch up on a couple hours of sleep," she protested, giving his arm a squeeze.  
"Serah want to fly for a while?"  
"If you stay close, sure." Aside from the uncertainty of the mystery woman, Serah felt too tired to trust herself flying alone.

Ten minutes out over the ocean, Serah dove into the water to help wake herself up more. The air was cool and crisp, but the sudden cold of the ocean was a much better wake-up. Buu watched her, smiling as she dove and surfaced and dove again like a dolphin. She "flew" underwater for some time, surfacing only when she needed a new breath of air, Buu trailing close behind.  
Another Ki flickered in the distance, barely perceivable to Buu. Alarmed, he dove into the water and quickly caught up with Serah to alert her. When he had a hold of her hand, he guided her to the surface. Hovering close to the water, Buu pulled her closer, "Buu senses stranger's Ki." He points further out to sea.  
Serah relaxed, opening her senses, "I… sense it, too. But, so faintly. What should we do? She might also sense us."  
Buu's mind raced. They couldn't just lead her back to Roshi's island, assuming her senses were on par with theirs – or worse, better. "Should we confront her?" Serah suggested. Even at the distance, her Ki didn't feel quite as strong as Buu's Ki. Buu nodded, "She doesn't seem so strong."

They flew hard and fast towards the Ki, flying high enough not to disturb the water. It felt like it didn't take any time to arrive.  
The Ki was still far away when they came to the seaside city. They looked on in horror, most of the skyscrapers were collapsed and the streets below were in chaos. Screams echoed as a skyscraper collapsed in on itself. Serah stammered incoherently and she buried herself into Buu as he held her. The merciless and ruthless destruction sent shivers down his spine, the horror of the sight hit hard. Before he had split into two, he once caused the same mindless chaos. Whomever caused this destruction was gone. Her Ki faded and disappeared into the horizon. Chasing her now would be futile, they wouldn't know if she changed course.  
They flew back to Roshi's island, too sobered by the terrible fate of the city to chat. Serah flew close to Buu, wishing she could end the destruction before more people were murdered.

It was almost dawn when they arrived. Roshi was already awake and the house smelled like breakfast when Buu and Serah came in. "Oh, hey! There you are!" Roshi smiled broadly at them.  
Serah squeezed Buu's hand, "I'm more tired than hungry. Wake me when everyone's ready." Buu nodded and Serah returned to the couch.  
"Turtle said he didn't even notice you guys leaving," Roshi laughed lightly. "He's thick, anyways."

Buu joined Roshi in the kitchen area, "Buu help?"  
"Nah, I'm almost done," Roshi said. "Since those two are gonna sleep through breakfast, I guess I'm cooking for us." He grinned.  
A few hours later, Buu, Serah, Mack and Roshi made it to the Lookout. Roshi had recently learned how to fly, though he wasn't quite as fast as Buu or Serah. "Whew," Roshi exhaled, "I forgot how high this place was." He peered around, taking in the sights.  
Dende came out of the main entrance and approached, looking perplexed. "I did not expect any visitors."  
Buu and Serah explained their circumstances, and included their previous night's ordeal. Dende nodded sagely afterwards, "You're all welcome to stay, of course. Piccolo is here, too. Perhaps he will aide us. In the meantime, I'll meditate and assist as I can."  
"Thank you," Serah bowed.  
"Do not thank me. The well being of the earth is very important." Dende offered them a slight bow and excused himself.  
"I think I'll go set up in a room," Mack said. He followed a short distance behind Dende with his suitcase and briefcase.  
"Sounds like a good idea," Roshi toned in. "I'll be under one of those nice trees for a while. Seems like a fine place to meditate." He adjusted his large shell and picked his briefcase up before heading for the nearest row of trees.

Serah turned to Buu and sighed, "I'm frustrated." Buu wrapped an arm around her shoulders and touched his forehead to hers as she continued, "That Ki had a disturbing familiarity..."


	5. Surprise! Maybe?

Mack shut the door and left his suitcase there, opting to first unpack his briefcase. The few vials he brought were undisturbed in their snug holes and his most important papers still lay almost perfectly inside. He pulled out a ceramic bowl, sat it on the nightstand and lay a silk handkerchief in it before pulling the orb from his pocket.

He unwrapped it from the cloth and lay it in the bowl, peering closely at it. Mack choked and paled as he watched the colors inside. The neon pinks from last night seemed dimmer and the purples were faded. Half panicked, Mack's eyes tore over the other vials before grabbing the papers and scouring the notes. He didn't expect the colors to fade and dim. Contrary, he expected them to intensify and brighten. Not sure what he had been missing, he paced his room, going over his notes and trying to think.

Buu entered the room hours later with a plate of dinner. "Dinner for Mack," he chimed. Seeing Mack in disarray, concern quickly showed on his face. "What wrong?"

Mack had nearly jumped out of his skin when Buu entered. "Oh, Buu! The orb has lost some of it's luster!" When Buu looked confused, Mack led him to the table to show him. The clouds in it seemed to have slowed down considerably, but when Buu approached, the color mostly returned.

Mack frowned deeply, "That is queer. I think it knows when you are near." Buu shook his head, unsure of what the scientist implied. "I wonder if you hold onto it for a while, it'll return to how it was." Buu watched Mack wrap the orb in the silk cloth and hand it over. "Don't worry too much about breaking it. It'll withstand a good deal of force without worry."

Buu turned to leave, slowly twirling the orb in his hand as the silk cloth opened over his hand. In the hallway, the door closed behind him. Piccolo passed him, offering only a grunt and a half hearted wave as he continued down the hall, frowning. Buu hardly noticed, staring at the orb for a moment longer before wrapping it up in the cloth again and pocketing it. While he walked the opposite direction that Piccolo went, Buu's mind went back to a memory from a couple years ago.

"Buu! Weren't you listening?" Serah had her fists on her hips, staring teasingly down at Buu.

"Buu thinking," he admitted. "Buu sorry."

Serah sighed and shrugged, joining him on the couch, "Oh well. What were you thinking about?"

"Buu thinking," he paused, "can Serah make baby?" She guffawed. Mack looked up from the kitchen, milk still pouring and overfilling a glass. When the scientist realized his mess a second later, he clamored to clean it up.

"W-well, I," Serah stammered. Mack cleared his throat and chimed in, "Well, maybe." He joined them with his glass, quaffing a third of it before continuing, "I'm not even a hundred percent sure, but- Ach!" Serah threw a pillow at him, almost causing him to spill the rest of his milk.

As she stared at Mack, Serah asked bewildered, "How much do you know about my..."

"I was only an assistant to the minds that created your body," Mack frowned, blushing wildly.

Buu frowned, "Serah no can make-" Serah grabbed the pillow from the floor and slapped Buu's face with it, looking increasingly flustered. The pillow tumbled to the floor, revealing a saddened Buu.

Serah hung her head, "Sorry, Buu. But I don't know- wait, you don't even have..." her question trailed, unfinished.

Mack cleared his throat, "Well, neither of you need to worry when you have a genus like me." He flashed a cheesy grin. "I remember much from, er, back then, and I learned a few things since."

Mack had spent the rest of that week holed up in his small laboratory, emerging only for food, sleep or a restroom break. Buu shook his head, remembering how disheveled he had looked a month later. It finally took a threat to lock his lab door that he finally stayed out for more than a couple hours.

Buu found himself outside. The crisp air felt good as the stars twinkled above. Although he found nights like this to be the best, one night stood out in his mind.

The first night he showed Serah the summit not too far from Mr Satan's house was an ideally perfect night. She had escaped from the captors that experimented on her and made her into what she became a few weeks prior and had lost much of her desire to live and thrive. Buu didn't blame her, he knew she was traumatized and thought the view from the summit would be a perfect way to snap her out of her lethargy.

Serah had to be carried there because she was so lethargic. After the sun had set, she finally looked up at Buu and asked, "What am I?"

Buu stared down at her thoughtfully. "Serah just like Buu."

"I was not born like this, though," Serah sighed and looked up at the stars. "I was a normal person with a normal life, a normal job and normal friends." Her eyes watered, "What am I and why me?"

After a long silence, Buu finally said, "Buu wondered same about Buu for a long time. But Buu realized, Buu is Buu and Buu's life what Buu makes."

Serah stared down at her hands clenched over her knees and thought about what he said. "I think I get it. I am who I choose to be and I must make what I can of my life." She smiled, "It is not the circumstances of one's birth – or rebirth – but what you do with your life that determines who you are."

Buu remembers that moment fondly and knew that was the moment he fell hard for her. Serah was out on the lookout, gazing up at the stars. Her back arched as she shifted her legs in front of her. Buu joined her, settling down next to her and leaned back on his hands.

"Beautiful night, yes?" Serah asked as she leaned against Buu. He hummed in agreement and wondered if the orb would react to both of them. Mack did make it for them.

He pulled the orb from his pocket and held it on Serah's lap. She looked down at it and asked, "What's this?"

"Surprise," Buu said. That's all he needed to say. Serah didn't get a chance to see it before and Mack had given very vague answers when she asked.

Serah unwrapped the orb and gasped in aw. The purple cloud and neon pink streaks had returned to their previous intense colors. "This is beautiful."

Buu peered into the clouds, wondering if they truly were more dense than just a few minutes ago. The clouds and streaks still seemed less active, but the color seemed more vibrant than before. "Serah ready?"

"Ready for what?" She relaxed, making herself comfortable.

Buu grinned from ear to ear, "Serah wanted one, too."

Serah tensed as fast as the realization hit her and her jaw dropped, "Th-this is-!?"

"Mm-hmm," Buu replied happily.

Serah turned and held Buu's hand as she rose to her feet, staring tensely down at Buu and the orb. "Buu, I… I don't know if I'm ready." She paled and dropped to her knees, feeling faint.

Buu leaned forward, wrapping his other arm around her and pulling her close with the orb between them. He felt her weight against him and wondered if it had been a good idea after all.

Serah leaned against Buu, feeling physically sick. She couldn't deny she would love to have a kid, but the sudden news of what this beautiful, strange orb was shocked her. It didn't seem like that long ago when she brought it up to Buu.

She told him she wanted to have a baby someday. But, she expressed her doubts of being able to have one. She still didn't quite fully understand what the experiment had done to her, and maybe she wouldn't ever be able to conceive. Maybe now, whether or not she could, it didn't matter anymore.


	6. Uncertainty

The world seemed to be relatively normal for several more weeks. The people still felt very shaken with the few cities that were razed, but have mostly gone back to their daily lives. The fear they had was felt everywhere, and the heroes could sense from the lookout.

Serah approached Mack outside after barely talking to him since Buu told her about the orb. "Hey, uh…" Mack remained quiet, letting Serah finish what she wanted to say, "I really wish you would have said something about the orb. It's not cool to push a child onto anyone like this."

"I am very sorry," Mack bowed slightly. "You are right. I should have asked before I began. I got caught up in whether or not I could, I didn't stop to ask if I should. Will you forgive me?"

"I think I can manage that," Serah sighed. "I am just finding this all a little difficult to digest." Mack nodded and bowed again. He wanted her to forgive him, but felt he should let her take her time.

Serah left Mack, wandering slowly back to the building.

Mack had been feeling more restless over the last couple weeks. While the rest of his friends scoured the earth below for signs of the destructive new enemy, he could only feel helpless. Worrying about his family and friends from before the experiment that changed Serah didn't help. He worried that they would perish.

Mack's mind drifted to the last time he saw his parents. As much as he loved his mother, he hated his father. She was always there for him, always encouraging him to be the best he could at whatever he wanted. His father, on the other hand, sometimes went out of his way to put him down. He was shameless; he once wrapped up a box of coal and gave it to Mack for the winter holiday when he was eight.

Mack had gone away to a university, but before he could return with his diploma, his mom was murdered by his father. The news almost killed him, and after graduating with perfect grades, the government gave him a job offer.

With a sigh, Mack looked up at the sky as he remembered the morning he was approached by two men in black suits.

"Are you Mack Smithson?" The older man sounded rough. Mack was intimidated by him.

"Wh-who are you?"

"I am Agent Freeman and this is Agent Anderson," they pulled their badges from their suits and showed them. They looked official. "We are looking for a few bright, young minds for a top-secret file and you are someone we need. The government needs you."

How could Mack refuse? He was needed and the work would keep his mind off the murder that had just happened.

After he joined Buu and Serah, he still kept busy. When he wasn't tending the garden or working on the orb, he found anything that would occupy his time. Reading, researching, a movie and an occasional video game helped.

But now, it seemed he had so much time on his hands and so little to do. Even the frequent checkups with the orb couldn't keep his mind occupied enough. As if on cue, Buu joined him. The large man seemed distracted. "Break time, Buu?"

Buu nodded, "Buu can't stop thinking about orb."

"It will hatch when it's ready," Mack reassured him. "It's essentially the same concept as when you were locked away. When it gets enough energy, you'll know."

Buu shifted, wishing he wasn't reminded of his more destructive past. He pulled the orb from his pocket and inhaled sharply when he noticed a crack.

"Oh, my!" Mack exclaimed. "Serah! Come quick!" Fortunately, she hadn't quite made it to the door, and once she heard his plea, joined them a second later.

Once she noticed the orb, Serah gasped, "Is it hatching?"

The crack grew and multiplied, until it finally shattered. The pieces littered the ground as Buu and Serah held their hands under the streaked cloud. The cloud expanded and suddenly collapsed, revealing a small pink infant. Its eyes were closed as if sleeping and didn't even realize it had formed.

When Serah felt its weight on her hands, she froze. Buu smiled wholeheartedly and moved in to embrace both infant and Serah while she stared at the bundle in their hands with a terrified expression.

Mack was at odds with himself. He was proud to have helped bring the infant into existence, but the look on Serah's face made him second guess himself. "What did I do?" he whispered to himself.

"I… I think its my turn to watch the earth for…" Serah stammered. Buu took the infant, loosing his embrace so she could duck under his arms and hurry to the meditation chamber. Surely Roshi needed a break from the constant scanning for the destructive new enemy. She left Buu utterly confused.

"I should have told you both before I even began creating that orb," Mack said.

"What's up with Serah," Piccolo asked as he joined them, but one look at the infant made him pause.

"Serah not happy," Buu said sadly. He wasn't sure why.

"We should let her be for a while," Mack suggested. "In the meantime, I want to make sure this little one is healthy." He beckoned Buu to follow.

Along the way, a curious Roshi joined them. They gathered in Mack's room, around a table. The infant was given a cloth diaper and laid on a pillow.

"He appears to be about ten inches long," Mack silently wished he had a measuring tape and a scale, "and I would wager about 8 pounds."

Roshi nodded, "A healthy height and weight, for human babies."

"Yes, for human babies," Mack stared down at the child while he rubbed his chin. "Most of the formula I synthesized is at the house. I did not expect this to happen so soon and so suddenly." Mack looked up, "Will you two keep an eye on him while I see if someone can pick me up and take me home for it?"

Roshi looked flushed and regretted following them, but reluctantly nodded, "Alright, alright."

Buu, of course, happily agreed, "Buu be best daddy!"

While Mack was gone, Buu and Roshi made themselves comfortable while the baby slept on the bed. He became increasingly restless as he snoozed. "So, Buu, have you and Serah decided on a name?"

"Buu not think about name."

"Eh!? Really?" Roshi was surprised at first, but knowing Buu, he knew he shouldn't be.

"Buu will think long and hard," he promised.

Roshi laughed and grinned, "Just don't take too long."

Bulma landed the aircraft near the house, at least what was left of it. It was in ruins and was barely recognizable. As Bulma powered the air craft down, Mack got out and looked over the decimated structure with a heavy sigh. There was no way the formula would have survived.

In the backyard, most of the garden was turned over, and only some of the vegetables seemed thankfully intact. Mack got to work collecting what few vegetables he could gather into a storage capsule he brought along.

After Bulma helped gather the last couple of vegetables, she asked, "Who did all this?"

Mack stared at the ruins, "We aren't sure, but the others at the lookout are working on it. We don't have much to go by, either."

Back at the lookout, Serah didn't notice when Piccolo replaced Dende. Her mind was focused on the slums of a city far away; vendors sold various trinkets, gadgets or foods and a few people mulled over them while crowds flowed around them.

Piccolo sat on the pillow a few seats away and broke Serah's focus, "That was a bit of a jerk thing to do."

Serah inhale sharply, the sudden distraction was uncomfortable. She hesitated, but he has a point. Serah knew she was a mother now, and she just left her son with its father. "I can't help but feel forced into parenthood, but you're right. That's no reason to just leave a baby."

Piccolo grunted roughly, "Roshi should be in to relieve you shortly. I can handle keeping watch a little while."

Serah rose and bowed to him, "Thanks." She hurried away and made her way to Buu, Roshi and the baby.

Buu and Roshi turned their gaze to her when she entered. Roshi sighed, "Looks like it's my turn to keep watch. Piccolo is always such a pickle." He laughed and left them.

Buu smiled warmly, "Serah think of name?"

She approached the sleeping baby and shook her head, "I have never named a baby before."

"Buu help!" He pulled her into his lap as he sat next to the baby.

Serah relaxed into the embrace, "I know you will."


End file.
